Monthly Archives: March 2022

One of the Final Witcher 3 Easter Eggs Has Been Found After Nearly Seven Years

Someone has found one of The Witcher 3's final Easter eggs nearly seven years after it was released in May 2015.

YouTube user xLetalis discovered that Vivienne, a character that players can free from a curse at the risk of her dying in seven years, can actually be found dead after waiting that long in-game.

Vivienne is at the centre of the Blood and Wine expansion's The Warble of a Smitten Knight quest, where Geralt finds her half turned into a bird. He offers to lift the curse, though warns Vivienne that she may only live as long as the animal as a result.

She accepts, departs, and can later be found in Skellige. By meditating for seven years (more than 2,500 days), or by using console commands to otherwise speed up time, the player can find Vivienne dead in Yennefer's room at Kaer Trolde Harbour.

Philipp Weber, CD Projekt Red's acting lead quest designer, noted the irony of someone discovering the seven-year Easter egg nearly seven years after The Witcher 3 was released.

He told IGN: "I'm not sure if it's the last secret, but it for sure is pretty close. Everyone hid so many details during the last months of development that people are probably still going to find something new one day.

"For sure this is the Easter egg I hid the most out of all the ones I did, so it's quite impressive it was finally found."

While it's one of the final Easter eggs for now, a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series version of the game is on the way, giving CD Projekt Red plenty of opportunity to sprinkle in new secrets.

In our 9/10 review, IGN said "massive in size and meticulously detailed, The Witcher 3 ends Geralt's story on a high note," and we also ranked it highly in our list of top ten open world games of all time.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

One of the Final Witcher 3 Easter Eggs Has Been Found After Nearly Seven Years

Someone has found one of The Witcher 3's final Easter Eggs nearly seven years after it was released in May 2015.

YouTube user xLetalis discovered that Vivienne, a character that players can free from a curse at the risk of her dying in seven years, can actually be found dead after waiting that long in-game.

Vivienne is at the centre of the Blood and Wine expansion's The Warble of a Smitten Knight quest, where Geralt finds her half turned into a bird. He offers to lift the curse, though warns Vivienne that she may only live as long as the animal as a result.

She accepts, departs, and can later be found in Skellige. By meditating for seven years (more than 2,500 days), or by using console commands to otherwise speed up time, the player can find Vivienne dead in Yennefer's room at Kaer Trolde Harbour.

Philipp Weber, CD Projekt Red's acting lead quest designer, noted the irony of someone discovering the seven-year Easter Egg nearly seven years after The Witcher 3 was released.

He told IGN: "I'm not sure if it's the last secret, but it for sure is pretty close. Everyone hid so many details during the last months of development that people are probably still going to find something new one day.

"For sure this is the Easter Egg I hid the most out of all the ones I did, so it's quite impressive it was finally found."

While it's one of the final Easter Eggs for now, a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series version of the game is on the way, giving CD Projekt Red plenty of opportunity to sprinkle in new secrets.

In our 9/10 review, IGN said "massive in size and meticulously detailed, The Witcher 3 ends Geralt's story on a high note," and we also ranked it highly in our list of top ten open world games of all time.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.

The Batman Wins the Domestic Weekend Box Office Again and Crosses $300 Million in North America

Not only has The Batman won the domestic weekend box office for the third week in a row, but it has also become only the second film in the pandemic era to cross $300 million in North America.

As reported by Variety, The Batman collected another $36.8 million domestically and $49.1 million internationally for a global total that has now reached $598 million. The film opened in China and only managed to earn $12.1 million, most likely in part due to the fact that 43% of the country's theaters are closed because of COVID-19 cases.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 placed second in its debut, bringing in $17.6 million domestically. It didn't quite reach the levels of Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train's $21.2 million opening, but it's an impressive performance nonetheless.

In our Jujutsu Kaisen 0 review, we said that it "delivers dazzling animation, memorable characters, and a poignant story that expands the world of the anime."

Uncharted took third place with $8 million, which helped make its domestic total reach $125.8 million. Globally, Uncharted is up to $337.3 million. In fourth place stands X, a '70s slasher throwback that we gave an 8/10.

"While its gnarly payoffs eventually peter out, X is filled with fun and intense setups that harken back to classic slasher fare," Our X review reads.

Channing Tatum's Dog rounded out the top 5 with $4 million and pushed Spider-Man: No Way Home - the other film to cross $300 million at the domestic box office - out of the top five for the first time since it debuted in theaters 14 weeks ago. Despite not making the top five, Spider-Man: No Way Home still earned $3.2 million in North America.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The Batman Wins the Domestic Weekend Box Office Again and Crosses $300 Million in North America

Not only has The Batman won the domestic weekend box office for the third week in a row, but it has also become only the second film in the pandemic era to cross $300 million in North America.

As reported by Variety, The Batman collected another $36.8 million domestically and $49.1 million internationally for a global total that has now reached $598 million. The film opened in China and only managed to earn $12.1 million, most likely in part due to the fact that 43% of the country's theaters are closed because of COVID-19 cases.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 placed second in its debut, bringing in $17.6 million domestically. It didn't quite reach the levels of Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train's $21.2 million opening, but it's an impressive performance nonetheless.

In our Jujutsu Kaisen 0 review, we said that it "delivers dazzling animation, memorable characters, and a poignant story that expands the world of the anime."

Uncharted took third place with $8 million, which helped make its domestic total reach $125.8 million. Globally, Uncharted is up to $337.3 million. In fourth place stands X, a '70s slasher throwback that we gave an 8/10.

"While its gnarly payoffs eventually peter out, X is filled with fun and intense setups that harken back to classic slasher fare," Our X review reads.

Channing Tatum's Dog rounded out the top 5 with $4 million and pushed Spider-Man: No Way Home - the other film to cross $300 million at the domestic box office - out of the top five for the first time since it debuted in theaters 14 weeks ago. Despite not making the top five, Spider-Man: No Way Home still earned $3.2 million in North America.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Epic Games and Xbox to Donate Two Weeks of Fortnite Proceeds to Support Humanitarian Relief for Ukraine

Editor's Note: The war in Ukraine is an ongoing, painful and emotive topic. IGN urges community members to be respectful when engaging in conversation around this subject and does not endorse harassment of any kind.

Epic Games has committed to donating all of its Fortnite proceeds to humanitarian relief for people affected by the war in Ukraine for the next two weeks.

As detailed by The Fortnite Team, Xbox is joining Epic in this effort by committing their net proceeds from Fortnite during the same timeframe so "we can get more aid to the people of Ukraine."

The donations will be collected from March 20 - April 3 and the funds will be sent to Direct Relief, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP), UNHCR - The UN Refugee Agency, and more that will be "added to this list in the coming weeks."

Epic addressed some possible questions in a FAQ section, starting by confirming it will be sending these funds "as quickly as we can."

"We’re not waiting for the actual funds to come in from our platform and payment partners, which can take a while depending on how the transaction was processed," Epic elaborated." As transactions are reported, we’ll log them and send the funds to the humanitarian relief organizations within days."

It was also explained that all real-money Fortnite purchases will be distributed, including V-Buck packs, Fortnite Crew, gifted Battle Passes, and cosmetic packs. Retail store purchases of in-game cosmetics and V-Bucks cards will also be included if they are redeemed within the donation timeframe.

V-Bucks simply being spent won't be counted towards this total, as it will be the actual real-money Fortnite purchases that will matter.

This move by Epic Games comes alongside the start of Fortnite Chapter 3, Season 2: Resistance, which not only adds Doctor Strange and Prowler to its Battle Pass, but also removes building from the battle royale.

This move is just one of many ways other gaming and entertainment companies are supporting the people of Ukraine, as some are stopping their services in Russia and/or donating to humanitarian relief for those impacted by the war in Ukraine.

For more, check out how you can help Ukraininan Civilians, our look as to why these game and entertainment companies are pulling support in Russia and Humble Bundle's charity bundle that has already raised over $5.6 million.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Epic Games and Xbox to Donate Two Weeks of Fortnite Proceeds to Support Humanitarian Relief for Ukraine

Editor's Note: The war in Ukraine is an ongoing, painful and emotive topic. IGN urges community members to be respectful when engaging in conversation around this subject and does not endorse harassment of any kind.

Epic Games has committed to donating all of its Fortnite proceeds to humanitarian relief for people affected by the war in Ukraine for the next two weeks.

As detailed by The Fortnite Team, Xbox is joining Epic in this effort by committing their net proceeds from Fortnite during the same timeframe so "we can get more aid to the people of Ukraine."

The donations will be collected from March 20 - April 3 and the funds will be sent to Direct Relief, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP), UNHCR - The UN Refugee Agency, and more that will be "added to this list in the coming weeks."

Epic addressed some possible questions in a FAQ section, starting by confirming it will be sending these funds "as quickly as we can."

"We’re not waiting for the actual funds to come in from our platform and payment partners, which can take a while depending on how the transaction was processed," Epic elaborated." As transactions are reported, we’ll log them and send the funds to the humanitarian relief organizations within days."

It was also explained that all real-money Fortnite purchases will be distributed, including V-Buck packs, Fortnite Crew, gifted Battle Passes, and cosmetic packs. Retail store purchases of in-game cosmetics and V-Bucks cards will also be included if they are redeemed within the donation timeframe.

V-Bucks simply being spent won't be counted towards this total, as it will be the actual real-money Fortnite purchases that will matter.

This move by Epic Games comes alongside the start of Fortnite Chapter 3, Season 2: Resistance, which not only adds Doctor Strange and Prowler to its Battle Pass, but also removes building from the battle royale.

This move is just one of many ways other gaming and entertainment companies are supporting the people of Ukraine, as some are stopping their services in Russia and/or donating to humanitarian relief for those impacted by the war in Ukraine.

For more, check out how you can help Ukraininan Civilians, our look as to why these game and entertainment companies are pulling support in Russia and Humble Bundle's charity bundle that has already raised over $5.6 million.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Fortnite Chapter 3, Season 2: Resistance Removes Building, Adds Doctor Strange and Prowler to Its Battle Pass

Fortnite Chapter 3, Season 2: Resistance has not only added Doctor Strange and Prowler to its Battle Pass, but it has also removed building from the battle royale.

Fortnite's newest season asks players to "join the resistance in the final battle to free the Zero Point." To help in this mission, Fortnite players will be able to use "all-new tactics like sprinting, mantling, and more" alongside the ability to actually drive an Armored Battle Bus - "complete with Chonkers Tires, a Cow Catcher, and two types of turrets."

However, the biggest change appears to be the removal of building from Fortnite's standard modes. To help with this drastic change, Fortnite has added an Overshield that will sit on top of your Shield and Health and will recover even if it gets down to 0.

The removal of building is obviously a temporary move for the story the Fortnite team is trying to tell, but competitive players need not worry as "building is unaffected in competitive/Arena playlists as well as in Team Rumble and Creative Islands."

"Building has been wiped out," a new in-game message reads. "It's up to the Resistance to get it back. Jump in with your squad to help The Seven uncover the Imagined Orders nefarious plan."

According to iFireMonkey, a leaked set of audios state that building will be disabled for the first nine days of this new season.

This new season will also bring back Bar Funding, which will let you "chip in bars towards pro-Resistance weapons and vehicles." You can also fund the installation of turrets.

As for the new movement abilties, players will move at "a new, faster default movement speed, and sprint even faster for short bursts." additionally, players will "gain the high ground with the new mantling ability - just grab onto a ledge and hoist yourself up!"

Joining Doctor Stranger and Prowler - who also happens to be Miles Morales' uncle - in the Battle Pass are Tsuki 2.0, the Gunnar, and The Origin. Special quests will also be available that will let players "reprogram" the Omni Sword Pickaxe to configure it with a new blade, guard color, and sound.

While these are all exciting changes, one of the biggest moves Epic Games is undertaking is committing all of Fortnite's proceed from March 20 - April 3 to "humanitarian relief for people affected by the war in Ukraine." Xbox has joined them in that mission by committing their net proceeds for Fortnite for that time as well.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Fortnite Chapter 3, Season 2: Resistance Removes Building, Adds Doctor Strange and Prowler to Its Battle Pass

Fortnite Chapter 3, Season 2: Resistance has not only added Doctor Strange and Prowler to its Battle Pass, but it has also removed building from the battle royale.

Fortnite's newest season asks players to "join the resistance in the final battle to free the Zero Point." To help in this mission, Fortnite players will be able to use "all-new tactics like sprinting, mantling, and more" alongside the ability to actually drive an Armored Battle Bus - "complete with Chonkers Tires, a Cow Catcher, and two types of turrets."

However, the biggest change appears to be the removal of building from Fortnite's standard modes. To help with this drastic change, Fortnite has added an Overshield that will sit on top of your Shield and Health and will recover even if it gets down to 0.

The removal of building is obviously a temporary move for the story the Fortnite team is trying to tell, but competitive players need not worry as "building is unaffected in competitive/Arena playlists as well as in Team Rumble and Creative Islands."

"Building has been wiped out," a new in-game message reads. "It's up to the Resistance to get it back. Jump in with your squad to help The Seven uncover the Imagined Orders nefarious plan."

According to iFireMonkey, a leaked set of audios state that building will be disabled for the first nine days of this new season.

This new season will also bring back Bar Funding, which will let you "chip in bars towards pro-Resistance weapons and vehicles." You can also fund the installation of turrets.

As for the new movement abilties, players will move at "a new, faster default movement speed, and sprint even faster for short bursts." additionally, players will "gain the high ground with the new mantling ability - just grab onto a ledge and hoist yourself up!"

Joining Doctor Stranger and Prowler - who also happens to be Miles Morales' uncle - in the Battle Pass are Tsuki 2.0, the Gunnar, and The Origin. Special quests will also be available that will let players "reprogram" the Omni Sword Pickaxe to configure it with a new blade, guard color, and sound.

While these are all exciting changes, one of the biggest moves Epic Games is undertaking is committing all of Fortnite's proceed from March 20 - April 3 to "humanitarian relief for people affected by the war in Ukraine." Xbox has joined them in that mission by committing their net proceeds for Fortnite for that time as well.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Tekken: Bloodline Animated Series Announced for Netflix in 2022

Netflix has announced Tekken: Bloodline, an animated series based on the beloved fighting series that is set to be released in 2022.

Netflix shared the news on Twitter by releasing both a teaser trailer and a poster that is focused on Jin Kazama. The official YouTube channel also reveals the show's synopsis.

"'Power is everything.' Jin Kazama learned the family self-defense arts, Kazama-Style Traditional Martial Arts, from his mother at an early age," the official synopsis reads. "Even so, he was powerless when a monstrous evil suddenly appeared, destroying everything dear to him, changing his life forever. Angry at himself for being unable to stop it, Jin vowed revenge and sought absolute power to exact it. His quest will lead to the ultimate battle on a global stage — The King of Iron Fist Tournament."

The trailer also teases some of the Tekken characters that will be part of the show, including who appear to be Heihachi Mishima, Kazuya Mishima, Leroy Smith, King, Jun Kazama, Paul Phoenix, and Ogre.

This isn't the first time Tekken has explored other entertainment mediums, as an anime Tekken film was released in 1998, a live-action film followed in 2009, and an animated film - Tekken: Blood Vengeance - arrived in 2011.

As for the Tekken games, the last mainline entry was Tekken 7 in 2015 - it began in arcades and came to consoles in 2017 - and no official announcements have been made for Tekken 8 or whatever it may end up being called.

This Tekken animated series is just one of the many in-the-works projects based on video games and joins an ever-growing list that includes Sonic the Hedgehog 2, BioShock, Halo, The Last of Us, and many more.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Tekken: Bloodline Animated Series Announced for Netflix in 2022

Netflix has announced Tekken: Bloodline, an animated series based on the beloved fighting series that is set to be released in 2022.

Netflix shared the news on Twitter by releasing both a teaser trailer and a poster that is focused on Jin Kazama. The official YouTube channel also reveals the show's synopsis.

"'Power is everything.' Jin Kazama learned the family self-defense arts, Kazama-Style Traditional Martial Arts, from his mother at an early age," the official synopsis reads. "Even so, he was powerless when a monstrous evil suddenly appeared, destroying everything dear to him, changing his life forever. Angry at himself for being unable to stop it, Jin vowed revenge and sought absolute power to exact it. His quest will lead to the ultimate battle on a global stage — The King of Iron Fist Tournament."

The trailer also teases some of the Tekken characters that will be part of the show, including who appear to be Heihachi Mishima, Kazuya Mishima, Leroy Smith, King, Jun Kazama, Paul Phoenix, and Ogre.

This isn't the first time Tekken has explored other entertainment mediums, as an anime Tekken film was released in 1998, a live-action film followed in 2009, and an animated film - Tekken: Blood Vengeance - arrived in 2011.

As for the Tekken games, the last mainline entry was Tekken 7 in 2015 - it began in arcades and came to consoles in 2017 - and no official announcements have been made for Tekken 8 or whatever it may end up being called.

This Tekken animated series is just one of the many in-the-works projects based on video games and joins an ever-growing list that includes Sonic the Hedgehog 2, BioShock, Halo, The Last of Us, and many more.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.